The man who owned the building that came crashing down in Delhi’s Satya Niketan has finally been caught, tracked all the way to Bhiwadi in Rajasthan and taken into custody on Monday. His name is Hariram Bansal, and his arrest comes even as the death toll from the collapse climbed to seven.
Search Operations Stretch Into Second Day
Rescue work at the site is now well into its second day, with 12 people pulled out from the rubble of the decades-old building so far. The structure had been functioning as a boys’ PG accommodation, tucked close to Delhi University’s South Campus. National Disaster Response Force IG Narendra Bundela said there’s still no clear number on how many people might remain trapped underneath, but the operation, running alongside Delhi government agencies, is expected to carry on well into Monday night.
Seven Confirmed Dead, Several Rushed To AIIMS
According to AIIMS, eleven patients were brought in following the collapse, taken to the JPN Apex Trauma Centre. Five of them were declared dead on arrival, and another, who had been fighting for his life in critical condition, later died as well. Three patients remain admitted and are being treated, one of them after undergoing surgery on his limb. A separate patient with a minor injury was kept under observation for a while before being discharged.
Collapse Happened Mid-Repair
The building gave way around 1:30 in the afternoon on Sunday, right when repair work was going on inside it, setting off a massive rescue effort that pulled in the Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service, NDRF and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority. Teams have been working through the night without a break, trying to reach anyone who might still be alive under the debris.
Case Registered, Inquiry Ordered
Police have already filed a case against Gupta and others connected to the building, and a magisterial inquiry has been ordered to dig into exactly what went wrong. With Gupta now in custody, investigators are expected to move ahead quickly on that front. Meanwhile, the search for survivors hasn’t stopped, as teams on the ground continue trying to confirm whether anyone is still trapped beneath what’s left of the building.
Also Read: Satya Niketan Building Collapse: CCTV Captures Chilling Moment Structure Comes Crashing Down
Khushi Patel is a Senior Sub Editor at NewsX, covering automotive, technology, Lifestyle, entertainment, and mainstream news. She previously worked as a Copy Editor at Times Network and has written automotive editorial content, including comparison pieces, for TimesDrive.
